Coastal Horizons

If I could be any kind of photographer in the world, I would be one who takes amazing artistic images that show the drama and intrigue of our lives.  Color.  Black & white.  Sharp lines.  Blurred focus.  All in the details.  A grand study of the big picture.  The exact right amount of processing to really pull out the wonder in enlightenment in every piece.  I would print books of images.  I would create canvases to hang in galleries.  Then I would set about documenting my process for other wanna be photographers to learn from. 

As it is, I am the wanna be.  Still learning the intricacies of this craft that I love so much.  Pouring over the work of others and reading how they went about their process so I can learn more about how to improve upon mine. 

I spent last weeknd going through more of my new photographic bible.  We were at the beach, which provided me with more than enough material to practice on.  Thought I'd share a few more things that I've learned.

Horizon lines do not have to be straight, nor do they have to be even.

Wide angles can bring an interesting distortion to horizon lines.

When in need of something supremely artistic, use a Lensbaby.

Perspective is everything!  

(I kind of already knew this, but it's always good to remind myself.)

 

 Vary the way you approach a subject.  It's about telling the story.

  

Like all others, the rules of photography are meant to be broken.  Don't be afraid to do that.  Sometimes the most interesting images are the ones that don't follow convention.  

For example, throw the Rule of Thirds out the window and put your tiny subject right smack dab in the middle of your shot, emphasizing its smallness by playing up the grand space around it.

And, every now and then, for art's sake, you just need to flip it around